A visual catalogue for creating dementia-friendly homes, HACK CARE aims to bridge a gap between ‘high level’ principles and accessible knowledge for everyday application. It puts forth hacking as a means of tackling daily living challenges in the domestic environment. The publication breaks down and reframe clinical knowledge into simpler themes of ‘Microworlds’ (the physical environment) and ‘Daily Rituals’ (the types of engagement). Within these, varied concepts are illustrated with a collection of hacks – ranging from tested prototypes to new uses for existing IKEA objects – to demonstrate care principles in practical application. We also touch upon the human side of caregiving by sharing stories and interviews with healthcare professionals and caregivers themselves. This offers a holistic window into the world of dementia – not just the medical, technical, and physical, but the affective as well.

For persons with dementia, personal memory and routines play vital roles – making ageing at home a critical advantage. It maintains their independence, well-being, and dignity for as long as possible, slowing cognitive decline. However, our homes are often not ready to handle such the unique physiological challenges of the condition. Concurrently, primary caregivers are often family members who may not have the necessary knowledge equipped. The difficulty of dementia care (and negative emotional impact on family caregivers) often means relocating their loved ones to an institutional setting. Thus, hacking was adopted as a way of problem-solving. It relies on an ongoing process of adapting and optimising – appropriate to a disease and condition of care where (due to progressive decline) challenges are constantly shifting. HACK CARE seeks to demonstrate this mindset and share solutions to common problems so that persons with dementia may continue living at home with their family.

HACK CARE repositions the idea of design—not as a rarefied property that exists solely from professionals, but as creative problem-solving already practiced by many carers daily. In short: carers are designers. We instead wish to play the role of facilitators for empowering others to improve their own lives (and the lives of loved ones with dementia). There was high demand for physical copies despite being available as a free eBook. 3500 copies were printed to meet requests coming in from Asia, Europe, and USA. It has also received massive feedback. Family caregivers—both new and experienced hands—found it useful and inspiring. Some requested copies to share with friends or family who are living with a person with dementia. Local and overseas readers working within healthcare and related industries have cited the publication as a helpful supplementary resource for their own research or work.